NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Gooden, Mets Are Shaping Up

Manager Jeff Torborg didn’t panic when his New York Mets opened the season with only two victories in their first eight games.

He knew his stars would assert themselves soon. He was confident that Dwight Gooden was over his shoulder problem, and he knew Eddie Murray would start hitting.

Murray doubled home two runs in a five-run first, and Gooden pitched brilliantly Wednesday night at New York in the Mets’ 7-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the second victory in a row for the Mets, and in those two games Murray has driven in five runs with three doubles.

Gooden, though, who won for the first time since last August, is the key to the Mets’ hopes.

“I tried to throw only about five pitches as hard as I could,” Gooden said. “I’m getting there.”

Gooden may not have been enthusiastic about his performance, but his manager was.

“Each time out, he gets a little better,” Torborg said. “He changes speeds nicely and had a good fastball. He’s right where he should be.”

The Mets, who ended their early-season skid Tuesday night, did it with a four-run first inning. This time they did even better in their first time at bat.

All the runs came after two were out. Murray doubled in two, Dave Gallagher singled in another and Daryl Boston followed with a two-run home run.

Meanwhile the Phillies didn’t get a hit off Gooden, or hit the ball out of the infield, until Darren Daulton doubled with one out in the fourth.

Gooden threw 103 pitches in six innings.

Cincinnati 3, Atlanta 1--Though first baseman Hal Morris’ hand was broken when hit by a pitch and shortstop Barry Larkin twisted his right knee and bruised his arm in a collision with left fielder Glenn Braggs, the Reds completed a three-game sweep.

It was the first time in 14 years they swept a series at Cincinnati with the Braves.

Chris Hammond, who fooled all the Braves except hot-hitting Deion Sanders, gave up four hits in eight innings. Sanders, who raised his league-leading average to .447, had a home run and a triple.

Sanders, as the replacement for injured David Justice, has hit safely in nine games in a row.

Norm Charlton, taking over for injured bullpen ace Rob Dibble, pitched a perfect ninth and has saved five of the Reds’ six victories.

St. Louis 4, Montreal 2--The Expos shifted Tim Wallach to first base this season so that Bret Barberie could play third.

Barberie made two errors at Montreal, the Cardinals scored four unearned runs and beat their former teammate, Ken Hill.

Bob Tewksbury pitched a strong six innings to get the win. Lee Smith earned his third save and Todd Worrell, who missed all of last season because of arm surgery, continued his comeback. He pitched a scoreless eighth. In five outings, he has five shutout innings.

Pittsburgh 7, Chicago 2--Cecil Espy and Lloyd McClendon, a couple of hot pinch-hitters, drove in three runs in the sixth inning at Pittsburgh to break open a tight game.

Espy, who is six for seven, singled in a run to make it 4-2 and McClendon, six for eight, singled home two more.

San Diego 5, San Francisco 3--Kevin Ward hit a two-run pinch home run in the eighth inning at San Francisco and the Padres won their fifth in a row.

Craig Lefferts, a converted reliever, went seven innings in his second start and was the winner as the Padres improved to 7-2.